Thalia James is an agent of the CGMS - the Computer Game Maintenance Squad. She was going to star in her very own adventure game... until that game got cancelled. Now, her job is to fix any discrepancies that may pop up in any adventure game. In other words, if a game has plot holes, or inventory items that have suddenly changed colour, or problematic characters, or anything else that just shouldn't happen, then Thalia, and the CGMS team will sort it out for you.

So the day starts pretty normally for Thalia. Apparently, the jackalope from King's Quest VII has escaped from his game (again), and is running loose in another game. So Thalia is given permission to enter 3 game locations (her job means that she has to travel through various adventure games, to get to where she wants), where the jackalope might be hiding. She must find a way to capture the jackalope, and return him to his own game. Oh well, it's all part of being a CGMS agent, after all. But things take a decidedly darker turn, when inventory items, and even game characters start to go missing. This could mean the end of the entire adventure genre...

Adventure: The Inside Job is an interesting game with a unique concept, and a great story. After all, we've all seen it at one time or another - Why did the character's shoes suddenly change colour? How did that item get there? Wasn't his eye-patch on the other eye? etc. And the idea that there is a whole other universe in which a team of adventure game characters try to fix these glitches in other adventure games is simply brilliant! The underlying message about adventure games being an under-rated genre is interesting, although the ending tends to drag out somewhat. But it is obviously something that is close to the author's heart.

The game is controlled by a mouse, so it's nice and easy to play. Icons are shown at top of the screen (just move your mouse up there) to indicate Look, Talk, Pick Up etc. You can also get access to your inventory from here, as well as seeing the Options Menu, which allows you to Save, Load, or Quit the game.

One of the interesting things about this game is the graphics. Due to the nature of the game, with Thalia exploring everything from low-res EGA games all the way up to SVGA games, we get to see a wide variety of graphic styles. Even Thalia herself changes as she wonders through the different games, and it's interesting to see her in different graphic resolutions.

A lot of the characters and backgrounds will be familiar to you, as they have been borrowed from other games. But there is also some original graphics, such as the characters of Thalia, Tlotzin, Sidonius, Suzy-Ann etc. The history of adventure games, and how they progressed, is shown at the start, and that was a nice touch. Each person's speech is shown above their heads, and each character has a different colour, so you can always tell who is talking. I love how icons for Walk, Look, Talk etc are shown as sketches, and each icon has it's own 'circle'. One of my favourite things is the CommKey - it looks just like a mini computer, and the games you can jump to are shown as thumbnails. The animation is superb, and Akril (the creator) has shown a lot of skill in blending Thalia & co with the backgrounds.

Just like the graphics, a lot of sound effects and music have been borrowed from other games. But it has been done with great effect, and it always seems to create the right atmosphere. A good variety of music (some ripped, some original) has been used, to indicate different areas. Also, each area has its own sound effects. For example, the Discworld II scenes have an eerie, cold wind blowing. Leisure Suit Larry has bowling ball sounds (well, you are in a bowling arcade, after all, lol). The Storage Room as 'squeaky' sounds as you pull hinges out of the door. Sounds for the doors opening and closing are used throughout the game. All in all, sound and music has been put to great use, and adds atmosphere to the game.

Adventure: The Inside Job is a wonderful game, that I thoroughly enjoyed. The whole concept of The Computer Game Maintenance Squad keeping order in other adventure games appeals to me very much, and Akril has pulled it off wonderfully! Much of the dialogue is very witty, and will bring a smile to your face. Other times, you feel really concerned about what will happen next. The game is mouse-controlled, so it is very easy to play. Due to nature of the game, a lot of graphics are ripped, and I love seeing how games have progressed from EGA to SVGA. The original characters (Thalia, Suzy-Ann, Sidonius, etc) have been wonderfully animated, and seem to fit in with whatever background they are in. Likewise, most of the music has been ripped. But again, it always seems to fit the situation. I highly recommend this game - any adventure fan is sure to love it! So what are you waiting for? Get downloading!